


Together Again

by TheGrammarHawk



Series: Verdant Flower, Crimson Wind [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Twins, Emotional Hurt, Gen, Light Angst, Post-Time Skip, Verdant Flower/Crimson Wind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22046125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGrammarHawk/pseuds/TheGrammarHawk
Summary: The twins are alone together for the first time since the brother left with Edelgard.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth & My Unit | Byleth
Series: Verdant Flower, Crimson Wind [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1586869
Kudos: 20





	Together Again

**Author's Note:**

> hi i like suffering bye

They aren’t alone together until it’s growing late in the night and Byleth’s entered what had once been his room. He should’ve known better. Of course she would be there, too.

And she is, of course she is, as she pulls off her coat, her armor, now only in a plain shirt and her old tights. Her uniform is different, now. He doesn’t really remember it being so… churchy. He doesn’t like it, either.

Her headband is even obscured by the gaudy church headpiece. That, too, comes off.

She pulls away every trinket that chains her to the church. Only when all of it is gone do her shoulders droop, hands moving to rub her arms as she hugs herself.

She isn’t turning to face him. She’s shaking, and he knows that she knows he’s there.

He reaches out, halting, fingertips just a foot away from her shoulder.

“Sister…”

“You don’t have the right to call me that,” she snaps back, turning only to pin him where he stands with her sharp stare.

And against his will, he flinches. The breath falls out of him slowly, and he looks down to their feet.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he can see her face fall, hopelessly wounded.

“Do you have any idea what happened? Has anyone told you? Rhea tried to take full control over me, and I  _ let her _ ! I let her because I was devastated, and I was alone, and I was so  _ lost _ , and it’s only because of Claude, and Seteth, and Alois, it’s only because of those who  _ had  _ my back that I didn’t become her toy entirely! Now you have the gall to state you did this to protect me from Rhea? Protect  _ us  _ from Rhea? You  _ left  _ me!”

And oh, she’s crying. Her face is raw and broken and her hands have become fists, and the last time she looked this undone was when Jeralt had-

“How can you look like that! How can you have any right to even seem miserable! What could they have possibly said or done to you that could compare with the pain you’ve given me?!”

Shame swells in his gut, and slowly, slowly, he shakes his head. This time he does not look at her through his bangs.

“They said you died. That you… died in the battle, five years ago. If I had… If I had known that you were alive, Byleth…”

Part of him hopes that this humbles her, just a little bit. A fraction. That she can understand the horror of the idea of one of them dying.

Instead she takes the hairbrush lying on her desk and throws it at him with all of her strength. It hits him square in the chest and falls to the floor.

“What does that matter! I  _ should _ have died, and long before that battle! I wouldn’t eat, I wouldn’t attend any of my duties - it is only because of the students and staff that I even lived to see the fight! There was simply no point to try and live! What is the point to living if I don’t have  _ you _ ?”

He couldn’t take it anymore. He closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her even when she struggled, even when she beat him with her fists. He simply let his fingers twist into her hair, his hold strong and absolute.

She was thinner than he remembered. It didn’t feel right.

“There is no point. You’re… right. That’s why, when I thought you had died…”

“Let  _ go _ of me! You don’t understand! You  _ chose  _ to let me die!  _ You  _ killed me!”

Her thrashing became more intense, but he had long mastered the technique of holding her still.

“Take my life instead. It’s worthless without you. It’s all I have to offer, but it’s always been yours. Whatever you want. Anything you need. Even if it’s my head on your sword.”

He held even tighter when he felt her shift to try and headbutt him in the chin, moving to press his face down into her shoulder. She was breathing so heavily, and still had so much fight left in her.

“You - goddess, you  _ idiot _ , you - you…  _ you _ … all I, all I ever,  _ ever  _ needed… I need  _ you _ , Brother, so don’t you  _ dare _ … how  _ could _ you… I was alone… I’ve never been so alone… you, y-you left me, you left me  _ just  _ like Father… You promised. You  _ promised _ !”

She never once raised her voice, and somehow,  _ somehow _ , that was worse. Instead it was just a depth, an  _ abyss _ of emotion, of hurt, of pain, spreading wide and deep through the chasm that was left of her heart.

His knees weakened, and he let himself slip down to the floor, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying himself into her stomach even as she hit her fists down onto his back. The punches barely hurt. She wasn’t even trying anymore. She didn’t have the energy to fight him.

He had never had the energy to fight her.

“I’m sorry.”

The beatings stilled for a moment at that, the soft rasp of his voice further muffled by her shirt. He heard her inhale, and waited for the next punch.

It didn’t come.

“I needed you - I  _ need  _ you, too. You’re the only thing I have to drive me. I followed Edelgard without thinking of anything other than the need to secure a future where you could be safe - I fought with her to destroy the church because I hoped I could find you, that I could explain. I fought these past battles, now, desperate for… for  _ any  _ hint as to if you could be alive, if there was a way to honor your death. I  _ need _ you, Byleth. I need you more than Sothis. More than Edelgard. More than  _ myself _ . I was lost. I  _ am _ lost.  _ Sister _ …”

His own breath hitched as she brought her hands to his scalp, fingers clenching his hair. Heat was rising in his stomach, through his chest, up his throat, and it burned his eyes, searing his heart as he felt tears begin to gather in a way they hadn’t in… a  _ long _ time.

“Please.  _ Please _ , Little Flower.”

Byleth let herself drop as an ugly sob tore from her brother, coming to sit down on his knees as she wrapped her arms around his head. She pulled him closer, pressing her face to his crown, inhaling the unfamiliar-familiar scents of flowers and iron and faith magic. She held him against her just as he held her to him, both as tightly as they could, letting him crumble and shake and fall apart this time as his words, usually so few and stoic, flowed out of him with a desperation and pleading that had never colored his tone before.

_ “I need you, I’m sorry, I’m sorry Sister, Byleth, please, I’m so sorry, I need you, I need you, don’t throw me away, I’m sorry, please, Sister, Sister, don’t go, forgive me, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I need you, I can’t be alone, I can’t be without you, you’re all I have, I’m sorry-” _

And they cry together, this time, they cry in each other’s arms, clutching, almost as if to try and find some way to get even closer.

As much as he was holding her in his lap, she was holding him in her arms.

They would hold each other up, again.


End file.
